REFLECTION: Called to Proclaim

Retaining the Divinely-ordained method…..

 

 

“… to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.”  (1 Corinthians 1:17)

 

 In the opening chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul explains to his readers that he had been commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ to preach the gospel, not to baptize. Paul did not consider the baptism of believers to be optional or unimportant. He could name some individuals whom he had baptized. As he was concerned that a personal allegiance to himself should not develop, with people declaring, “I am of Paul,” he stressed that he had never baptized an individual in his own name. He had been sent to “preach the gospel.”

 

Someone might ask the question, “How did you preach the gospel, Paul?” The answer that Paul gives is an important one for us to grasp today. The first thing that he tells us about his method of proclamation is negative: “not with wisdom of words”. The Greeks were great orators and loved to debate matters. Many a philosopher could stand outside and gather a crowd, or impress the students in his class with his ability in the realm of reason. Paul was an intellectual giant. He had been brought up at the feet of Gamaliel and had perfect understanding of the law, (Acts 22:3). He could well have used his brilliant mind and skilful rhetoric at Corinth to outwit his opponents and thus demolish their arguments.

 

 

NOTHING MUST DISTRACT!

Instead we find Paul doing none of this. The “wisdom of words” did not feature in his proclamation of the gospel message, and Paul gives just one reason for refusing this approach. He refrained “lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.” In other words, the cross of Christ must stand alone. It does not depend upon human wisdom. Actually, human wisdom is damaging to the message of the cross for it deprives it of its power. Christ Himself is “the power of God,” (v.24). Salvation is found only in Him. Human effort has no part to play. On the cross the Lord Jesus bore our sins and dealt a blow to human pride. We are saved by repentance and placing our faith in Him. The power is in the Saviour and in the work that He accomplished and never in the impressiveness of the message preached.

 

Where do we stand today? In many churches the pulpit has been replaced by the stage. Instead of a message being heard, some kind of theatrical performance is enjoyed by the audience. In many “missions” nowadays a carnival atmosphere prevails – with balloons, face painting, comedy, laughter, and fun. All these things are incorporated in “outreach” to get people in and to try and convince unbelievers that Christians are just ordinary people too. There is, however, a fundamental flaw in all of this. Somehow the true message of the gospel has become obscured in an overpowering desire to be seen as “relevant”. 

 

 

A TIME-HONOURED METHOD

Let us be quite clear: the gospel is no laughing matter. It is deadly serious, for it concerns righteousness, sin, judgment, and (against that background) the love of God. Just as clever arguments rob the cross of its power, so entertaining sketches and worldly amusements divert people from the awful solemnity of their guilt before a holy God. The time-honoured method is preaching.